


Can't Hold On or Life Won't Change

by InsomniacTiger



Series: Someone Help Joker [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-typical swearing, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Metaverse (Persona 5), Multi, Persona 5 Spoilers, Post-Canon, Protectiveness, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24274210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsomniacTiger/pseuds/InsomniacTiger
Summary: Their job as the Phantom Thieves was over. The Metaverse is gone. Akira had gone home to his small town and taken Morgana with him. It was a new step in what was supposed to be the right direction.But then Morgana calls up the friends they left in Tokyo in a panic.Akira is missing.They may need to wear their masks once more.
Series: Someone Help Joker [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752271
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	1. Life Will Change

It was hard not living in the attic of Leblanc. Sure, he had brought all his stuff with him that he had collected there. Except his friends. Seeing them every day, and then that comradery being reduced to texting was hard. They texted each other basically non-stop every day of the week so it wasn’t like he thought they had forgotten him. But it was hard to see them talking about meeting up in the group chat and knowing that he wouldn’t be there to listen to their voices and see them.

Morgana was more of a life line than he knew.

Somedays he would sit on the bed in his old bedroom, and stare up at the glow and the dark stickers that Yusuke had given him. Those were from his friend. So was the statue that had been moved next to his dresser and the bowl of ramen that Ryuji had given him. But sometimes it was still hard to think that everything that had transpired over the last year wasn’t just an elaborate dream.

But then Morgana would crawl into his lap and head butt his chin to snap him out of those thoughts.

And that was it.

Morgana was here.

And it wasn’t like he could somehow talk himself into believing that he had just adopted a cat, because Morgana still talked.

A lot.

He wasn’t a feline, he was the culmination of human hope.

Some days he walked around his house, as empty as ever, and just carried Morgana in his arms. His friend didn’t seem to mind, in fact he would start purring when Akira held him close like that. This little fact made him believe that maybe they both needed the reassurance that the last year wasn’t a dream.

Their life now was so mundane.

He went back to his old school, the other students still avoided him like the plague. The teachers looked down on him despite his above average grades. In the small town that they lived in he easily just walked everywhere.

He tried to get multiple part time jobs like he had last year, but most places remembered that he was the kid that had spent time in juvie.

No one seemed to especially care that he had been cleared of charges.

No one cared that the man who had been behind those claims admitted that falsified them.

People weren’t necessarily _cruel_ about it, just very clear that they didn’t want someone that had all that history near their shops.

So, he trained.

Trained for what – he wasn’t sure.

But he kept his muscles in shape, his flexibility and agility well prepared.

But the Metaverse was gone.

And unless he planned on getting a job that consisted of a lot of exercise someday, he wasn’t totally sure why he bothered.

His parents had a second house in the city that was an hour away. They spent most of their time there leaving him on his own in the town house.

That was fine.

He didn’t really want to speak with them anyway. They had been quick to send him away when the charges had been officially filed against him. And before that, when the cops had brought him home that evening, they had locked him in his bedroom.

There was never a chance of reconciling with them, and he wondered if it was odd that he didn’t care.

Morgana made a quiet joke about how if the Metaverse was still around they could have changed his parents’ hearts to actually be loving parents. But he just smiled and scratched behind his ears. Some people weren’t meant to be parents. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to have children. This was just a variation of one of those.

Besides the Metaverse was gone.

That was what they had been told in the Velvet Room before the last fight.

That was what Morgana had said before he’d vanished on them for two months.

The Metaverse had been destroyed.

But… if that were the case…

Why was the MetaNav back on his phone?

* * *

He had been walking home from school, Morgana walking beside him, when his phone had gone off. It went off often because of the group chat so he pulled it out to see what his friends were up to. They had plans to take Futaba to Akihabara today, so maybe they were already on their way. But instead the familiar red and black app was lit up on his phone.

He froze right in the middle of the sidewalk as he stared at it.

How could this be?

What did it mean?

Was it possibly a prank?

Had Futaba somehow messed with his phone…?

Did he text her to ask about it?

Did he tell Morgana?

“What’s wrong? Is everyone ok?” Morgana stopped to look back at him having realized that he had stopped.

“Hm? Yeah. They’re just going to Akihabara with Futaba.”

“I wonder if she is building another computer.”

“I think she mentioned something about trying to build one that ‘even Sojiro could use’ or something.” He chuckled putting his phone back in his pocket.

There was no need to worry anyone.

He would check it out later when Morgana wasn’t with him.

* * *

Later that night after he’d finished washing the dishes from their dinner, he waited another half hour and started stretching out his arms and legs.

“Ugh. Are you going to work out this late at night?” Morgana watched from the couch.

“Might as well.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I’m doing anything else tonight.”

“Can I call Lady Ann with your phone while your gone?” He asked suddenly too excited at thought.

“I was going to take it to listen to music…”

“Oh. Very well. Maybe I can figure out the land line thing your parents still have installed here.”

He laughed as he headed for the door. “Good luck with that.”

Just to be safe he jogged toward the small park that was a couple blocks from the house. Morgana’s days of trailing behind him everywhere had pretty much stopped, but he felt better knowing that there was a good amount of space between them before he attempted this. Ever since he had seen the app reappear, he’d tried to talk himself down. To believe that it was a prank, that it was nothing.

He’d even gone so far as to try to convince himself that it was just the pixels frozen on the screen and he somehow hadn’t noticed until now.

That didn’t work in the slightest.

Ducking behind the cover of some trees he pulled his phone back out and looked down at the red and black square that was so small, but so significant.

And pressed it.

_“Welcome Back Rebellious Soul…”_

There was the familiar feeling of distortion around him.

Opening his eyes, he looked down and saw familiar red gloves and the ends of his long coat…

He was Joker again.

He was back.

The Metaverse was alive.

* * *

Walking around the familiar world was nostalgic, even though it really hadn’t been _that_ long since they had last been here.

It was different though.

Instead of the long winding subway tunnels of Tokyo it was fuzzier. There was a heavy dark fog around the place that made it hard to see where he was walking. Glowing red light seemed to come from nowhere, but he didn’t think too much about it.

Instead he was wondering how this was possible.

This should be gone.

After all the work they had put in… all they had gone through and done…

How was this possible?

There were very few Shadows down here, and the ones he saw were weak and frightened by the sight of him.

_‘So, you’ve returned to us…’_

That voice… it was Igor. Turning quickly, he saw the light frame of a blue door and a girl with a faint smile, pale blonde hair, and bright yellow eyes.

“Lavenza?” Joker called to her.

She nodded then held the door open for him.

Inside he was pleased to find that he remained in his Thief clothes and was not trapped behind bars. He was able to walk right up to Igor’s desk.

“How does it feel to be back among us?” The older man asked.  
“Surprising. I thought the Metaverse was gone?”

“The Metaverse that was the cognitive collection of Tokyo has vanished. However, there are sinners everywhere. There will always be Shadows lurking. And as long as there is evil in the darkness there will always be a need for Phantom Thieves.”

Part of him wanted to say that there was no way that he was going through this _again_. But a much larger part of his soul knew that he would never say no. That as long as there were people who needed to have their hearts stolen, to change their views from the vile temptations of the world, he would always be happy to don the mask.

“Where do I start?”

* * *

“I don’t want you to think I don’t enjoy hearing from you,” Ann was saying over the phone. “But it’s been a long time since Akira called us. And he doesn’t really text anymore. Is he… doing well?”

Morgana sighed. “I’m not sure…”

“What do you mean? Is he sick?” Haru asked, her voice sounding further away.

“Well when we first got back, he seemed kind of depressed.” He admitted.  
“We should have tried to force him to stay in Tokyo.” Makoto sighed. “Or try and find a logical reason for him to do so.”

“He wouldn’t have stayed anyhow.” Ryuji pointed out. “He was all like ‘my year is up, I promised my parents’.”

“His absentee parents mind you.” Yusuke jumped in.

“What assholes.” Futaba muttered.

“Language!” Makoto scolded.

“Ryuji says it all the time!”

“You don’t want to end up like Ryuji.” Ann reminded her.

“Hey!”

“Oh. Good point.”

“I believe we were listening to Mona-chan.” Haru interrupted in that quiet but assertive way of hers.

“Right.”

“Sorry.”

“Please continue Morgana.”

He shook his head but continued what he had been saying. “Well. Anyway, in the last two weeks or so he has had a lot more energy. Not just – oh he’s finally getting a good night’s rest – kind of energy. But something has finally motivated him.”

“Well that is good then.” Ryuji said.

“What passion has caught his eye then?” Yusuke inquired.

“That’s just the thing. He hasn’t said a word to me. And when I tried to ask about it, he just shrugs and says that I’m imagining things. But I know him! And it’s not in my head. It’s not school, they still treat him like trash there. And he didn’t get a job, no one will hire him still. He isn’t meeting with anyone. I would be able to smell another person if that was it.”

“You guys do spend most of your days together…”

“Where is he right now?” Makoto asked.

“On his run, he exercises every evening now.”

“Well that’s it!” Ryuji laughed. “He’s just getting that good feeling high that you get from a good work out.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ann sighed. “You guys did those work outs all the time and he never was as happy afterward as you. There’s no way that’s it.”

“Have you tried following him?” Futaba asked.

“No. I’m trying not to be… suspicious.”

“But you are.”

“Obviously.”

“Is his phone dead?”

“No. He always keeps it charged. Even has one of those battery pack things for it. He takes it with him when he works out to listen to music he said.”

“That’s strange…”

“What is it Futaba?” Makoto asked.

“I can’t find his phone. I have tracers on everyone’s devices. But his is just gone.”

“You don’t think…”

“Impossible.”

“I was there when it dissolved.” Morgana pointed out. “It’s gone.”

“Ok. Then, where is he?”

“Maybe his phone just died. It’s possible.”

“But… I don’t like this.”

“Well he lives out in the middle of nowhere.” Ryuji said. “Maybe he’s just out of range?”

“It doesn’t work like that moron.”

“How am I supposed to know!?”

“Morgana, it sounds like it’s time to put your skills to use once again.”

“I’ll do my best!”

* * *

The chance to follow him on his exercise routine never came. Akira was far to observant. Which is what made him an excellent leader of the Phantom Thieves. Morgana was torn between being proud of him and being frustrated that he couldn’t manage to follow him. Every time he was preparing to follow him out the door Akira would set him up.

Several nights he left a large plate of sushi out on the counter for him.

Other nights he simply locked the door from the outside and locked the windows, under the guise of safety.

And on more than one occasion he would start reminiscing about their days in Tokyo, and more specifically, Ann.

Which then Morgana felt compelled to call his second favorite Phantom Thief once again.

“Well it’s obvious he’s up to something right?” Ryuji groaned. “If he’s going through all the trouble to make sure he’s not being followed?”

“Exactly my thoughts.” Makoto agreed.

“But what could he be doing that he doesn’t want Mona-chan to know?” Haru hummed.

“It’s something he believes we all wouldn’t approve of.” Yusuke pointed out. “He is aware that Morgana talks to us, and he has yet to mention anything in the group chat.”

“Aaand he’s gone again.” Futaba grumbled. “Every night. His phone just blinks out of my system.”

“I know it’s a school week for all of us… but maybe we all should drive down to visit him?” Ann suggested.

“Agreed.”

“I was about to say that.”

“We have little other choice.”

“Let’s at least wait until exams are over.” Makoto told them.

There was a round of groaning but also reluctant agreement.

“He’ll be so happy to see you guys.” Morgana said.

“Hopefully.”

* * *

It was almost four in the morning when Makoto’s phone wen off. Normally it was on silent and wouldn’t have woken her except that Futaba had rigged all their phones to automatically ring if one of their numbers was coming in. When she looked at the caller ID, she saw that it was Akira’s landline number. The one that Morgana always calls from.

“Morgana? What is it?”

“He’s not home! I can’t get out because he locked everything and I can’t really reach the door handle to try and pick the locks and he left hours ago! He should be home! Right!? If it was just a run? Something happened! I know it. Something is wrong Queen! I can’t get out of this house without him to go look!”

“Morgana listen. Calm down.” She was up and changing into street clothes searching around for her keys. “Let me gather a few things and I will drive down there myself.”

Morgana huffed a few times as he tried to calm himself. “But… you have exams…”

“You know that you and Akira are always more important than school. Besides my grades are good enough that I can fail these and still have a decent grade. Just try to stay calm, I am going to call the others and see who else can come and we will be there in a few hours.”

“Thank you, Makoto.”

After hanging up with him she called the others and everyone seemed to be in the same stages of sleepiness that she had been, with the exception of Futaba who had apparently been awake anyway. But everyone agreed that they would be dressed and ready by the time she drove by to pick them up.

* * *

It was hours later when he heard the sound of Makoto’s van pulling up to the front of the house.

He had thought for sure that Akira would come home before they got here.

He had thought that he would get home, the others would arrive shortly after and then together they could get him to tell them what was going on.

But instead he was still missing.

“Morgana?” He heard Ann call through the door.

“Lady Ann!” He hurried to the entryway. “There should be a spare key under the door mat.”

“That’s so cliché.” Futaba muttered.

“So much for trying to be ‘safe’.” Ryuji agreed.

The door finally opened to reveal the group, all in various forms of disarray. Clearly everyone had simply rolled out of bed and gotten here as quick as possible.

“Still nothing?” Makoto sighed as she looked around the empty house.

“Morgana, could you sniff out his jogging path?” Yusuke asked.

“Of course, I can.”

“I thought only dogs could do stuff like that.” Ryuji muttered but was quickly shut up by Ann smacking him.

“Lead the way Mona-chan.” Haru stepped aside so that he could exit the house.

“Can’t we grab a little snack first?” Futaba peered into the kitchen area. “Hold on! I see packaged pastries!” She darted forward grabbing an armful before handing them out.

“Ok. Let’s go.”

* * *

When they reached the park, they weren’t surprised to find that there was no sign of him.

“This is where his trail ends.” Morgana grimaced.

“Was he… kidnapped?” Ann said it quietly, but her tone was still doubtful.

Their leader was strong. Surely no regular person could get the upper hand on him.

“Guys…” Futaba’s voice was barely audible. “Look…”

She held out her phone to reveal a familiar looking app on the screen. The red and black image was glaringly bright to all of them.

“No way.”

“What the hell…”

“This can’t be…”

“This explains where he’s been going then.” Yusuke sighed.

“Why wouldn’t he tell us?”

“So, he’s been doing this for weeks now, and going in there alone.” Makoto frowned.

“Do you think… something really bad happened? And that’s why he hasn’t come back?” Haru fretted.

“There’s only one way to find out.” Morgana pointed out. “I am so mad at him for not telling me about this… we need to get in there and find him so I can properly yell at him.”

“I agree.” Futaba nodded.

“But didn’t we destroy this place?!” Ryuji was looking at his own phone staring at the screen.

“We destroyed the Tokyo cognition.” Morgana shook his head. “I hadn’t really thought of it too much before, but I guess it makes sense that there will always be a Metaverse. Just the locations may change.”

“That’s true, just because we saved the people back home doesn’t mean that there aren’t other people in the world who may need a change of heart.” Makoto agreed.

“So, we’re going in, right?” Ann crossed her arms.

“Of course, we are!” Ryuji nodded.

“We have to go find our wayward leader after all.” Yusuke shook his head.

“Then here we go!” Futaba cheered pressing the app.

_“Welcome back…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	2. Erosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thieves are back in Mementos and they are looking for their leader.

It took them all awhile to get used to the fact that they were indeed back in Mementos. The scenery was different but still had that black and crimson aura.

“So where should we start?” Panther asked looking around.

This wasn’t like the subway tunnels of Tokyo. That layout had been fairly straight forward. This was open and vast.

“This way.” Mona gestured with a paw before walking forward. “I can sense him.”

“That’s wonderful Mona-chan.” Noir fell into step with him quickly.

“I’m glad you’ve got something,” Oracle muttered. “I can’t get any readings down here. My system is totally spazzing out.”

“Is it because this is a new place?” Skull asked.

“I’m not sure… it’s like something is directly interfering with it.”

“Look! Joker!” Queen pointed in a direction that was not the way Mona was going.

They turned in time to say the flash of red gloves and the ends of his jacket disappearing into the hazy black fog. She started to run after him but Mona jumped in front of her.

“Wait. I don’t think that’s him…”

“But I saw him!”

“I have a strong feeling he is that way though.”

“What makes you believe that wasn’t Joker?” Fox asked.  
“It just… whoever that was… it didn’t feel like him.”

“Maybe it was a weird Shadow that kinda looked like him.” Skull shrugged.

“Joker wouldn’t run away from us…” Noir added.

Queen frowned. “That’s true. But… I saw his face, just for a second… but it really looked like him.”

“I still am not picking up on anything. So, I couldn’t say.” Oracle sighed.

“I vote that we follow Mona for now.” Panther said. “I also don’t think Joker would run from us.”

They came to an agreement and returned to following Mona. They walked for several minutes before the fog began to build up heavily around them.

“This is new…” Oracle muttered stepping closer to Queen.

“Stay sharp guys!” Mona called. “Something is nearby. And I don’t think its friendly.”

There was sharp gust of wind and the fog rolled away, revealing Joker.

“Joker!?” Panther called.

“Hey man! This isn’t funny!” Skull snapped.

Joker smirked and pulled his blade out twirling it deftly in his hand.

“That’s not Joker.” Fox warned.  
“Agreed.” Mona nodded. “It’s a Shadow guys, don’t be fooled.”

“What if it is Joker,” Noir asked. “And he’s just been confused by another Shadow?”

Fox shook his head. “No. The mask is wrong. Joker’s has a black design around his eyes. Also look at the way he’s looking at us.”

The Not Joker had his head tilted back slightly so that he was sneering at them down his nose.

“It’s a Shadow.” Queen agreed.

“Then take it out quickly. He’s bothering me looking so much like our Joker.” Oracle grumbled.

“On it!” Skull charged forward, bat in hand, but when he actually got close to the look alike, he hesitated.

Which was all the Shadow needed to swing the blade forward.

“Skull!” Mona jumped in and blocked the attack with his own sword. “Pay attention! It’s not him!”

The Not Joker suddenly was set a flame as Panther summoned her Persona. The cries it made were definitely not Joker’s voice which was reassuring in a sick way to all of them.

“The hell!?” Skull was staring where the Shadow had just been incinerated.

“Why are there Shadows that look like Joker?” Noir looked down at Mona.

He frowned looking ahead into the vast abyss that laid before them. “I’m not sure, but I can almost guarantee that it’s not good.”

The charged further into the depths running into several more Joker Look Alikes, before Mona finally called them to a stop.

“This is it… Lavenza?”

Suddenly the girl that they had met before in the Velvet Room appeared before them, the shimmering blue door making an appearance with her.

“You finally arrived.”

“Where is Joker?”

“With us.”

“You kidnapped him?” Panther glared.

“He came of his own free will.” The small blonde girl shook her head. “He stays with us by choice.”

“Can you take us to him?” Queen asked.

“Of course, follow me.” She led them through the door.

Inside was the familiar scenery of the Velvet Room. The creepy looking old man was at the desk in the center looking over what appeared to be a large book and some cards.

“The others arrived just as I had predicted.” He nodded seeing them. “You have come looking for your Trickster.” The man held up what was clearly Joker’s mask.

“Where is he?!” Skull demanded running over and snatching the mask away.

“He has chosen to return to his cell.” Lavenza pointed at the only cell that had a shut door.

They hurried over and saw that Joker was in fact inside, sitting on the small bed that was chained to the wall. When they approached, he looked toward them, keeping his eyes lowered before he offered a small smile.

“Can’t hide from the Phantom Thieves for long, huh?”

“That’s all you have to say!” Oracle admonished him.

“What are you doing? Get out of there.” Panther looked at the large lock that was on the door.

“Where is the key you ol’ creep?” Skull turned back toward Igor.

“I have not locked him in there. It’s his own cognition that formed that barrier.” He shook his head watching them all closely.

“Why? What’s going on Joker?” Queen’s voice was carefully neutral.

“I’m not sure.” He frowned folding his hands in front of him and leaning forward elbows on his knees. “But I can’t leave yet.”

“If this is a lock of your own doing, then free yourself.” Noir tried.

Joker hesitated, still not making direct eye contact with them.

“What are you afraid of?” Fox asked quietly.

“Does it have to do with the Shadows that look like you?” Mona inquired.

He nodded. “Yes. They are part of it.”

“What are they?”

Joker was silently for several seconds before answering carefully. “I made them.”

“What do you mean?”

“How is that…?”

“Why would you do that?”

He covered his face where his mask usually rested and stared at the floor through his fingers before closing them. “They were people.” He said softly. “They were regular people’s cognitions… and I turned them into … into me.”

“What do you mean?” Queen asked.

“Don’t you understand?” He chuckled, but it was dark and didn’t sound like their friend at all. “They were _people_! In the real world. They were living normal lives. And _I turned them into Joker_.” His laugh gained a slightly hysterical tone before he suddenly jumped as if he had been shocked.

Looking down they saw that he was clutching his blade tightly in his other hand. It had sliced into his palm, crimson liquid dripping down to the cement floor.

“Joker…” Mona whispered. “What do we do?”

“You leave.” He rasped, his voice almost back to normal. “You leave me here.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Panther snapped.  
“We are not leaving you behind!” Noir agreed.  
“It’s not safe.” He was still staring at the floor. “It’s not safe…”

Fox turned toward the small blonde girl and the man behind the desk. “How do we fix this?”

The man smiled.

The girl nodded.  
“We’re glad you asked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


	3. Disquiet

Joker could hear them from where he sat in his cell. They were trying to fix _this_. But they needed to leave. He told them to leave. Was he not the leader? The one who gave the orders? Mona usually listened better than this. Why wouldn’t they go like he said?

Didn’t they understand?

He had told them.

_It’s not safe._

They needed to go home.

_He would keep his Phantom Thieves safe at all costs._

Even if it was from him.

Because if he wasn’t careful…

 _They might turn into Joker too_ …

* * *

“So how to do we fix all of this?” Skull snapped.

“Unfortunately, this illness is not unheard of in our world.” Igor shook his head. “It’s a curse that only a Joker can obtain.”

“But Joker is just his code name.” Queen pointed out.

“This is true. You chose this name for him though, correct?”

They paused the others looking over at Skull and Mona. They were the first to come up with the names.

“Well he was like our wild card…” Mona shrugged. “Joker was a fitting name.”

“But it’s just a name!” Skull protested.

“Have you learned nothing?” Lavenza sighed sounding just a little too much like one of the twins from before. “This is a cognitive world.”

Igor nodded. “Between dreams and reality.”

“If you believe something enough, it eventually will manifest in this world.”

“So, your saying that we did this to him?” Noir asked.

“In a sense, yes, but also he did this to himself.” The blonde girl nodded. “He is the Trickster. Joker is the name he goes by. You put one hundred percent faith in his abilities, yes?”

“You want us to not trust him?” Panther frowned.

“Like hell!” Skull growled.

“If you aren’t going to listen then leave!” Yellow eyes glared, but then relaxed quickly. “We are not asking you to lose faith in your Trickster. Keep that.”

“It would perhaps be more influential to explain how this came to be.” Igor told her as he made a note in one of his books.

She nodded. “Of course, Master.”

Turning back to the Thieves waiting a proper explanation she gestured toward their friend in his cell.

“He came to find the Metaverse once again many weeks ago. In his explorations he found this place again where we informed him of the issues with the cognitions of this new Mementos. It was of his own volition to take on the task we laid before him. We warned him that this would be no simple task and the bonds he had forged with you all would be of great use. However, he continued to appear on his own. Then, a few days ago, he came to us here, and locked himself up. When I tried to encourage him to leave, he tore his mask away and has been in there since.”

“But _what happened to him_?” Oracle asked.  
“That is for him to say.” She shook her head.

“They won’t give us a straight answer.” Queen sighed.

Fox was back over by the cell crouching down to try and get Joker’s attention. “Won’t you let us help you?”

Joker flinched then turned so that his back was toward the door. “I said go home.”

“Well tough shit!” Skull smacked the bars making them echo loudly. “We don’t leave anyone behind! Ever! Now get your crap together and let’s go!”

“Skull…” Noir quietly shook her head. “He needs time still.”

While they had wandered back toward the cell, they noticed that Mona was still talking to Lavenza. Their small friend sighed, his shoulders sagging then nodded.

“There is nothing we can do here.” He told them. “It would be best to return home and strategize a proper plan of attack.”

Despite the want to protest leaving him behind they nodded and began to follow Mona towards the door out.

Fox hesitated as he stood to leave. “You know we are not going to give up, and we will be back.” He said softly.

Joker remained silent long enough that he assumed he wasn’t going to answer, but before he could walk away, he heard the deep voice reply quietly. “I know… thank you.”

* * *

They returned to Akira’s house for the time being.

“Won’t his parents think it’s weird that we are all here and he isn’t?” Futaba asked looking at the small selection of video games piled neatly next to the tv.

“They live somewhere else. And haven’t visited him since school started back up. I think we’ll be fine.” Morgana answered as he leapt onto the coffee table in the center of the room.

“So, what were you and Lavenza discussing?” Makoto asked as she and the others found seats around the living room.

“Like they said, it’s a kind of illness. That of the Joker. And while they said something along the lines of ours and his cognition making him to this, she also admitted that she thinks something or someone else is at play here. Likely it has to do with whatever he had been investigating before this happened. Apparently, Igor knows, but he won’t say and she still wasn’t sure herself what Joker’s findings had led him to.”

“Basically, we need to start by investigating what Joker was and see what it was that came after him?” Ann asked.

Morgana nodded. “Exactly.”

“So, what was he lookin’ for?” Ryuji asked.

“Mementos appears when there is a large amount of negative cognitions. Like in Tokyo. While this area itself is not nearly as big as the city was there is a group, or at least one individual that needs their heart changed. Therefore, the manifestation of the new Mementos.”

“Get in, steal some treasure, get out. Easy enough.” Futaba nodded.

“But we don’t know whose treasure we’re stealing.” Haru pointed out.

“Considering Akira’s condition, I don’t believe it will be easy by any means.” Yusuke shook his head.

“We won’t know anything until we start.” Ann sighed.  
“Where _should_ we start?”

“If that’s all the information those two are going to give us…”

“Joker was at this for weeks, right? Who knows what he found out…”

“I don’t think asking him is going to get us anywhere.”

“I think we should check out this pharmaceutical company.” Futaba called out turning her laptop around so everyone could see what she had pulled up.

They gathered around to take a closer look. It was a large company that’s headquarters were just on the outskirts of the city limits.

“Why here?” Makoto asked.

“From what I have traced from Akira’s phone he visited this place at least twice in the last month. It’s the only inconsistency I can gather from what seems to be his daily routine of school and home.”

“Sounds like a fair assumption.” Yusuke nodded. “I agree. Let’s investigate.”

“How are we going to get in here?” Ann pointed at some of the pictures. “It doesn’t look like a place teenagers would go to. Ever.”

“Maybe a college student would?” Haru suggested, looking over at Makoto.

“Yes! Maybe a couple of college students would visit to get some intel for a project.”

Morgana nodded. “Then that is the plan. Haru and Makoto will do the real-world infiltration, and we will be on standby in case something goes wrong.”

“Just two of you? What if something happens?” Ryuji frowned.  
“I think two is perfect. Any more might be overwhelming and they will turn us away. Two people could be friends, that are taking the same class trying to work together.” Haru assured him.

“And if something were to happen,” Futaba grinned. “Makoto could take them out with her Fists of Fury!”

Makoto blushed slightly, but nodded. “I-I mean. My aikido is always a valuable asset when needed.”

“Then we have a plan.” Ann smiled. “The first step to saving Akira.”

“In the mean time I guess we should call our schools to let them know we will be absent for a while.” Makoto sighed.

Ryuji shrugged. “Who cares? It’s not like they really give a shit.”

Ann shoved him off the couch.

“Hey!”

“I’ll make some phone calls for us.” Haru smiled getting up and pulling out her cell phone.

After she had stepped into the next room Futaba just shook her head. “With so much money comes so much responsibility. And power. Glad she’s on our side.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Let me do some research on this company and come up with some valid notes for tomorrow.” Makoto got up to go sit at the older looking computer off in the corner.

“Tomorrow?”

“The sooner the better. Besides, this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Another strong player steps up.” Futaba muttered over her laptop.

“How is that not difficult? You aren’t even remotely studying about drugs n’stuff.” Ryuji looked over her shoulder at the computer screen as she pulled out a notebook and pen.  
“It’s called studying Ryuji.” She sighed.

“You should try it sometime.” Ann teased.

“Like you’re one to talk.” He glared.

“Guys!” Morgana raised his voice. “Can we focus for a second?”

“What is it?”

“Well… with Akira gone and all… who’s going to feed me?” He asked.

They laughed at the way he ducked his head.  
“I shall find you some fish to feast on.” Yusuke reassured him heading toward the kitchen.

“Yes! Akira keeps the really good canned stuff on the top shelf!”

“What makes you think you’ve earned the _really good stuff_?”

“Yuuusuke!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)

**Author's Note:**

> [@InsomniacTiger](https://twitter.com/InsomniacTiger)  
> Come say Hi over on Twitter! I post updates for my stories and art! :)


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